RESEARCHING ROLLBERGE:
OF URBANIST VISIONS AND
LIVED REALITIES
An interactive exhibition on the architectural history of a housing complex in Berlin Reinickendorf and the urbanist context of the time of its construction.
Many renowned architects were involved in the planning of the Rollberg settlement in Reinickendorf. Nevertheless, their visions and ideas are poorly documented and little known. The project therefore set out to investigate the historical background of the settlement, with a focus on its outdoor and communal spaces — elements that are strikingly absent from most official accounts.
The exhibition brought together archival research, comparative studies of Berlin’s postwar housing projects, and reflections on the broader architectural debates of the 1960s and 70s. Rather than providing definitive answers, it opened up questions for further exploration: What ideas of community and coexistence did the planners want to realize? What stories shape today's perception of the settlement? How is reality experienced?
Concept, research, text: Fabian Faylona, Benedikt Stoll
Interaction and exhibition design: Fabian Faylona
Support from QM Titiseestraße: Teresa Rodenfels, Dalia Lüttgert
Photo Credit: Matilde Outeiro
With Support of Julia Ravenhorst (Gewobag) and funded by the Berlin Senate department for Urban Development, Construction and Housing.
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OPENING DAY:
CONVERSATION AND INTERACTION
On the Activation Day, the exhibition was officially opened and framed by a public program with invited guests from politics and local institutions. Among them were District Councilor Korinna Stephan and State Secretary Stephan Machulik, who joined the discussion on the significance of communal spaces in contemporary urban development. Their presence underlined the importance of the Rollbergesiedlung not only as a site of architectural history, but also as a living urban environment shaped by ongoing political and social debates.
At the same time, the event created space for the perspectives of the residents themselves. They were invited to contribute their memories, impressions, and stories about the neighborhood, which enriched the research with lived experience. In this way, the Activation Day connected historical investigation with present-day perspectives and opened a dialogue about the role of community spaces in the settlement.
